FotoDoc Festival 2025 Announces Theme and Dates

FotoDoc Festival, one of Brazil’s most important photography events, returns for its fourth edition with a crucial and urgent theme: “Horizons.” The festival will take place from November 4 to 8, 2025, at the Panamericana School of Art and Design in São Paulo (SP), with exhibitions open until January 10, 2026.

This year, the event aligns with COP 30, bringing reflections on global warming, its consequences, and the impact of climate change denial. Photography, as a tool for documentation and social transformation, will play a central role in the festival’s discussions and activities.

Program Highlights

The exhibition featuring the winners of the FotoDoc Photo Contest, one of the festival’s most anticipated moments, will expand to showcase 25 selected projects. Additionally, the event will offer a diverse lineup of exhibitions and a rich program of activities, including:

• Talks featuring renowned photographers and experts;

• Bookstore with Conversations with the Author and Artescambo, a space for presentations and exchange;

• Workshops and Portfolio Reviews, designed to support and train emerging documentary photographers.

The full program and list of guest speakers will be announced soon. Stay updated through the festival’s official website and Instagram to ensure your participation in this major photography event!

Join the FotoDoc Photo Contest

Entries are now open for the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025! Organized by the FotoDoc Festival, the competition aims to showcase high-quality photographic work that tackles contemporary and relevant themes. Submissions will be accepted until June 30, 2025, and are reviewed on a rolling basis by the festival’s curatorial team as they are received.

Selected entries will be published on the festival’s website, accompanied by a brief photographer biography, a portrait, and links to their website and Instagram (if provided), upon payment of a US$ 29 publication fee. The funds collected from entries are used to compensate those involved, promote the festival, and cover award costs, as the competition does not rely on cultural incentive laws.

At the end of the submission period, all published works will be re-evaluated by the festival’s curatorial team, selecting 60 finalists: 9 Portfolios, 21 Photo Essays, and 30 Single Images. All finalists will be featured in FotoDoc Magazine 2025, dedicated to the festival’s programming.

A jury of five members will convene in São Paulo (SP) to select the 25 winners: 3 Portfolios, 7 Photo Essays, and 15 Single Images. The winning works will be part of a major exhibition during FotoDoc Festival 2025, taking place in November at the Panamericana School of Art and Design, in São Paulo (SP).

Click here to read the full regulations and submit your entry!